Coorg, officially called Kodagu, is the most sought after and popular hill station of Karnataka. Lying serenely amidst high mountains, Coorg’s landscape stays misty throughout the year. The aboriginals of the place are Kodavas. Apart from Kannada, the other two main languages of this hill station are Kodagu and Kodava.
Kodagu also known as Coorg is the “Scotland of India”. Coorg is located on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. Kodagu shares its border with 6 different districts of India. The region is picturesque with coffee estates, pepper and vanilla plantation with a small cultivation of tea which forms the crops of the region. It is a small hill station with an altitude of 1150 metres above sea level. Tadiandamol is the highest peak in the district of Coorg. River Kaveri (which originates in Talakaveri) and her tributaries drain most parts of Kodagu.
Coorg is a rural region and most of its economy is based on forestry, agriculture and plantations. The economy of Coorg is primarily accredited to the production of coffee and additional plantation crops. Rice is among the other crops that are planted in the valleys of Coorg.
The coffee plantations became important to the district of Coorg in the 1900s, located on the sides of hills that are too steep on which to grow rice, while taking full advantage of the shade from the existing forests. These days, coffee is the major cash crop of the town of Coorg. The two most popular types of coffee that are grown in Coorg are Robusta and Arabica.
The mainstay in the economy of the district of Coorg is pepper, coffee and cardamom. Paddy is farmed once per year and the majority of the agriculture in Coorg is fed by rain. Horticultural products such as cardamom, bananas and oranges are inter-planted within the estates of coffee.
The best time to visit Kodagu is between October to May and the peak season for this hill station is within February to May. Kodagu is the largest producer of Coffee in India. Also, it is one of the places with highest rainfall across the nation. Undulating hills covered in lush green forests and a landscape dotted with coffee plantations, tea gardens and orange groves, this hill station has breathtakingly stunning scenic beauty.
Top 10 Tourist attractions to see in Coorg
- Talakaveri
- Nisargadhama
- Dubare Elephant Camp
- Abbey Falls
- Iruppu Falls
- Nagarhole National Park
- Baikuppe Tibetian Monastry
- General Thimayya Memorial Museum.
- Madikeri Fort
- Raja’s Seat